Young developer has aggressive vision for Norwich

CJ Rockett is one of the busiest downtown Norwich property owners you’ve probably never heard of. Over the past 24 months, his Denison Capital Partners firm has quietly picked up 18 parcels — mostly in the downtown and Greeneville areas — with one aim in mind.

CJ Rockett is one of the busiest downtown Norwich property owners you’ve probably never heard of. Over the past 24 months, his Denison Capital Partners firm has quietly picked up 18 parcels — mostly in the downtown and Greeneville areas — with one aim in mind.

“Our motto is ‘clean, safe living,’ and we have high hopes for Norwich,” said Rockett, a managing partner in the firm. “We are cleaning out those neighborhoods. Unless you’re a young family or kindly old man that has lived there for 30 years, you’re out.”

That aggressive tack is earning him praise from the Norwich Community Development Corp., but Rockett, 32, says it’s also behind some legal issues.

The Norwich resident is facing several criminal charges in Norwich Superior Court, including first-degree threatening, stemming from a Dec. 21 incident in which a bomb threat was made to New London Superior Court, allegedly with Rockett’s cell phone. According to the arrest warrant, the court employee who received the threat said the caller’s voice matched the voice on a message Rockett left with authorities later that day.

Rockett, 32, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday in New London, and the case has been transferred to Norwich. He is free on $25,000 bond and is due back in court June 4.

Rockett denies the allegations, saying one of his tenants used a mobile application to make it appear as if Rockett made the call, a practice known as “spoofing.”

“This is just one of these things I have to deal with while kicking out the drugs and prostitution,” Rockett said of the bomb threat charges, adding, “This is one of the speed bumps I have to go over when I clear out the ghetto and I have 150 people trying to ruin my life.”

Rockett says the city has no hope for broad urban renewal without an image boost. The latest venture of his Stonington-based company is the restoration of a 148-year-old building at 50-52 Broadway.

“He is an aggressive gentleman and he works hard, but he is not just a person fixing up buildings and making them attractive. He is a caretaker for the community,” said Jason Vincent, vice president of Norwich Community Development Corporation. “He will force change within buildings that he has control over if it’s not contributing in a positive way to the community, and I don’t know many people with that kind of courage.”

Vincent said Rockett is doing work in troubled neighborhoods and supports his claim of innocence against the legal charges.

“CJ is doing some very challenging work in our city and some of the people he engages with are not society’s best members and probably know ways to manipulate the system,” Vincent said. “My gut reaction is this is out of character with who he is as an individual, and it’s likely to be a result of the hard work he’s doing to clean up the properties he’s doing business in.”

Page 2 of 2 - Rockett, who grew up in New York City and lives on Thermos Avenue in Norwich, said he was lured into Eastern Connecticut’s real estate market during the housing collapse, when banks were looking to shed properties at historically low interest rates.

To date, Denison Capital Partners has acquired 96 units in 20 properties in Norwich, Jewett City and Plainfield — including the 10,298-square-foot building at 102-110 Main Street in Norwich, spending roughly $500,000, according to property records.

It also owns a commercial building at 191 Franklin Street and apartment units on Cliff, Lake and Union streets.

“Norwich has the feel and beauty. There’s definitely the possibility that we can make it a hip place,” Rockett said. “We have a lot of energy and I’ve got a great team, and we really want to rebuild downtown.”

Jesse Craig, of Colchester, the contractor managing the Broadway refurbishment, said the structure was in dire shape when his three-man crew arrived in late January.

Since then, more than 100,000 pounds of debris have been removed and new wiring, windows and plumbing have been installed.

“This is my baby. My pride and joy,” Craig said. “We’ve rebuilt it from the inside out. We had to chase cats out of here.”

Craig said the 3.5-story structure, which housed a ceramics shop, should be completed by August. From there, Denison will go through the city’s permitting process to obtain a certificate of occupancy.

Mary Bartlett, who lives on Broadway, said she is happy to see attention being paid to the building.

Vincent said several investors have already expressed an interest in moving in, and Rockett has been in talks with NCDC about accessing a portion of the $3.38 million downtown revitalization bond to help with code corrections.

But as one project finishes, Rockett said his company will continue its push into Norwich neighborhoods on the hunt for promising development opportunities with strong tenants.

“I feel like it’s going to be one of those snowball effects,” he said. “You could say we’re very busy.”